Jesus has a glorious vision for his church: people from every tribe, nation and tongue, cleansed of their sins and gathered around him in love, with hearts full of praise. This is our future. This is the kingdom we are living into, and it is glorious!
VISION24 was adopted in 2020 and is our 5 year, ten point vision to guide us as we follow Jesus and his call on us to love and mission.
By 2024 we see…
We see a church rejoicing in the love of God, led by the Holy Spirit and prioritising evangelism, discipleship and the equipping of believers. The preaching is compelling and there’s a high emphasis and confidence in the Bible and its witness to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We see church members intentionally mentoring one another. Contemporary technology and media are used in the tasks of mission, discipleship and training.
We see people of all ages and backgrounds worshipping at three Sunday services. Each service having a distinct style, meeting its missional goals and sharing a common identity. There is high quality community engagement through Easter and Christmas. We see music and creative arts encouraged and developed to enhance our worship and outreach.
We see a vibrant community of people who serve and love others… not detached or distant, but as hope come-to-life: hope personified. This overflows into our city through the ministry of the Community Store, Community Garden, and various avenues of compassionate outreach. We see the store and garden becoming known throughout our city as community-making and well-being assets. They refresh and connect people, enriching life and pointing to hope in Jesus. We see people coming to faith in Jesus through the attractive love and care of his people.
We see a large team of passionate pray-ers for the church and the broader community. We see a growing healing prayer ministry and prayers regularly lifted up for urgent needs. We see the church pastorally caring for one another bringing healing and wholeness to one another.
We see Living Water as an exciting, enriching and inspiring place for children and families, with regularly organised discipleship and training opportunities for children and parents. Children can’t wait to come to church because of the love, friendship and truth they experience in Kid's Church and Creche. We see our Creche and Kid's Church volunteers receiving high quality training and support. We see high quality and appropriate curriculums for children, grounding them in the truths of the faith. We see interactive ministry spaces, a weekly kids club and annual holiday kids club.
We see a number of Life Groups of young people led by well trained leaders. We see Youth Church on Sundays and young people participating fully in the Sunday evening service. Each year there is a youth camp, various youth events and opportunities to go deeper in Christian faith. We see school leavers deepening their faith through gap-year internships.
We see vibrant men’s and women’s ministries for all ages, each with groups for Bible study, fellowship and pastoral support. We see groups of men and women involved in serving the church community and providing an access point for newcomers to quickly get connected into the life of the church.
We see our retirees and seniors flourishing in their faith in Christ actively participating and contributing in the life of the church. We see regular fellowship gatherings and social events. We see the Residential Aged Care ministry growing with new teams of volunteers able to bring the love of Christ to those who can’t get to gatherings anymore.
We see seventy-five percent of our congregation meeting weekly or fortnightly in Life Groups. Our Life Groups are inclusive communities focused on making and maturing disciples. We see pastoral care and biblical teaching flourishing. We see Life Groups mobilised for mission, inviting new people, identifying one anothers’ gifts and serving the church community.
We see every member of Living Water as an ambassador for Christ, working to promote the gospel locally, in Australia and worldwide. We see members confident in conversations about Jesus and inviting people to services and events. We see a welcoming church with a deep commitment to love, inclusiveness and community. We see the gospel promoted through Living Water in Albany, the Great Southern and beyond.